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What to do with left over steak has been a question for the ages. Steak is one of the hardest foods to store and reheat without it turning into a tough piece of leather.
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Can You Freeze Sous Vide Steak?
Sous vide steak can be frozen before or even after preparation. Freezing a finished steak, no matter how it was cooked, is going to yield the same result. What is more important is how you store it and how you reheat it.
The benefit of sous vide steak is that it is already vacuum sealed, minimizing freezer burn. Additionally, the only way to reheat a steak to desired doneness is with a sous vide.
Do Professionals Use Frozen Steaks for Sous Vide?
Most likely, professionals are not using frozen steaks for sous vide cooking, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. If you season a steak and then vacuum pack it and freeze it, it can be put straight in the preheated sous vide cooker, seared, and the results will still be excellent. Many home chefs use this technique to save time and money as it allows them to buy in bulk and prep lots of food at once.
Advantages of freezing steak and cooking sous vide include:
- Shorter prep times per meal as you can prep large batches of food at once and store them for later
- Simple cooking steps – just drop the prepared bags into the preheated water
- The texture and moisture remain the same as fresh steaks
- Long storage life compared to fresh steak
- Easily repeatable results
Freezing the Steak After Cooking
When you freeze the steak after it is cooked, ensure the bag remains sealed. You do not want any air in the bag when it goes into the freezer, or you will risk freezer burn.
Time Taken to Cook Frozen Steaks
Many people get confused about the time a frozen steak takes to cook. The simple formula is that you add 60 minutes to the time that a fresh steak would take to thoroughly cook. The time the meat takes to thaw is more than in any conventional cooking style because the temperature in this method is low.
Freezing Different Types of Steaks
The texture of the frozen steak will be just as juicy and tender as a fresh one. Moreover, the hassle of preparing the seasoning, vacuuming the bags, and sous-viding them all can be overwhelming. When you prep and freeze food ahead of time, it makes dinner prep simple and easy.
But what about different cuts of steak? Do they all come out the same when frozen? In general, yes, your steaks will come out the same regardless of cut. There are some very minor differences with how fast water leeches out of the meat (freezer burn) based on the muscle type and fat content, but if you are cooking your steaks within a week or two, this will be negligible.
Related Questions
Check out some of the most common questions regarding frozen steaks.
How Do You Reheat Frozen Steaks?
You can reheat the frozen steak with your sous vide by submerging the vacuum bag straight from your freezer into the water at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. The meat portion will come out fresh and delicious. For even better results, heat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, then give it another quick sear.
How Do I Store a Steak in the Freezer?
The best way to store a steak in the freezer is vacuum sealed. If your steak is raw, season and vacuum seal it before placing it in the freezer. If you have already cooked the steak sous vide, keep the meat vacuumed and store it in the freezer until you are ready to eat. If you have leftover cooked steak, just vacuum seal it and pop it in the freezer.
How Can I Store Leftover Sous Vide Steak?
You can store leftover, opened steaks in a vacuum bag and refrigerate them. Many vacuum bags can be resealed. This steak can be stored for up to a maximum of ten days. Ensure that you consume it within this time.
Can a Steak Remain Fresh if it is in the Freezer for Six Weeks?
Yes and no, raw steaks that are vacuum sealed will definitely remain fresh. Leftover steaks already lose quality from the time they were being eaten, so while you can absolutely reheat and enjoy leftovers from the freezer 6 weeks later, it won’t be the same as fresh.
Conclusion
You can absolutely freeze steaks for the sous vide and from the sous vide. The biggest thing is ensuring a good vacuum seal on the meat before freezing. The more air you can get out the better your frozen results will be. As far as reheating or cooking frozen steaks, the only way to cook these is with a sous vide.
